Dresden, March 2nd, 2023 – Dresden-based software developer Kernkonzept is part of the MANNHEIM CeCaS research project for high-performance processors. The L4Re Hypervisor developed by the company makes an important contribution to the implementation of these novel automotive platforms for autonomous driving.
Under the title “Supercomputing for Automotive”, a high-performance supercomputing platform for automobiles is to be developed in the CeCaS (“Central Car Server”) project. Its central computing unit will be based on novel, automotive-qualified RISC-V high-performance processors in non-planar transistor technology (FinFET). It will be supported by an adaptive software platform.
A powerful central car server is indispensable to be able to handle the enormous amounts of data that will be generated in the future for the demanding near-real-time calculations in highly automated vehicles in an energy-efficient manner. Key requirements are not only high reliability and safety, but also compatibility and real-time capability. To ensure that the technology can be implemented in the field of autonomous driving in a timely manner, the aim is to achieve full ASIL-D qualification at system level.
With its unique expertise in virtualization-ready, real-time operating systems and especially with the L4Re hypervisor we developed, Kernkonzept will support the CeCaS project in making high-performance platforms more efficient and increasing their user-friendliness. In a Central Car Server, the L4Re Hypervisor can improve scheduling mechanisms, enabling the integration of diverse applications. The L4Re hypervisor technology reliably implements the high requirements for safety and real-time implementation in the field of autonomous driving.
“The L4Re hypervisor we developed is being successfully used in the automotive sector for years. In the CeCaS project, we will provide our vast technological and practical experience to create a high-end computing platform that is suitable for everyday use, energy-efficient and cost-effective,” promises Adam Lackorzynski, CTO of Kernkonzept. “With our contribution to technology development in autonomous driving, we can make the European automotive industry fit for the future.”
The CeCaS (“Central Car Server”) research project is one of four strategic projects in the MANNHEIM funding guideline that have been conducting research into high-performance computing platforms and future-proof software development since December 2022 as part of the “Automotive Industry Future Fund”.
CeCaS is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with 46.2 million Euros as part of the MANNHEIM guideline for research funding (“Electronics and software development methods for the digitalization of automobility”) and coordinated by chip manufacturer Infineon Technologies. By 2025, 26 partners, including major automotive manufacturers such as Bosch, Continental and ZF Friedrichshafen, as well as research institutions such as KIT, TU Munich and Fraunhofer, and numerous medium-sized companies will be working on software development for the Central Car Server.
